One form of double lift open shed Jacquard machine for a loom for the production of pile fabrics, for example carpet fabrics, comprises lift blades which are movable in opposite relationship to each other and which are carried on blade carriers, and hooks which can be entrained by the lift blades in a hooking engagement position. A problem which arises in relation to Jacquard machines for the production of pile fabrics is that of providing three positions for the pile threads of the loom so that three shed positions can be produced in the loom. In order to afford the three positions required, each pile thread may have associated therewith double the number of control elements. That however gives rise to the problem that the machine then becomes excessively large as, with double the number of control elements, that means that the size of the machine is also doubled.
In another form of double lift open shed Jacquard machine comprising lift blades which are movable in opposite relationship to each other and which are disposed on blade carriers, with hooks which can be entrained by the lift blades in an engagement position, as disclosed in EP 0 280 132 Al, only one control device is operatively associated with each pile thread. To achieve that, each hook has three hook configurations, with two hook configurations being provided for movable lift blades and a third hook configuration being provided to give the open shed arresting action. Mounted to the hooks are pulley-type pull cords which are passed over a pulley and which at the other end are secured to movable suspension devices of a board-like configuration. The suspension devices are separately controllable. Thus, that arrangement provides that two positions are afforded within the Jacquard machine while the third position is afforded by virtue of the controllable suspension devices and the pulleys, outside of or below the Jacquard machine. That however involves a relatively large amount of mechanical structure outside the Jacquard machine and furthermore requires a corresponding amount of space beneath the Jacquard machine. The control assemblies required for controlling the board-like mechanical suspension devices are also disposed within the Jacquard machine in addition to the control devices which are provided therein in any case.